Call for Programs – 2015 Parliament of Religions

Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, Salt Lake City, 2015

The 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions will be held in Salt Lake City, October 15-19, 2015. The Coordinating Committee has called for programs to be delivered at the event.

CALL FOR PROGRAMS

The Parliament of the World’s Religions invites proposals for programs for presentations at the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 15-19.

Thousands of people submit program proposals for the Parliament and a team of interfaith and subject experts select about 10% of those proposals to be a part of the Parliament programing.

Everyone who attends the Parliament has wisdom to share – from those who are having their first interfaith experience to those who are steeped in interfaith. The purpose of this gathering is to support relationships, connections, and inspired calls to action which can then ripple out from the Parliament into hundreds of grassroots organizations, networks, and communities. And, the Parliament is a real place for “discourse.”

Program types may include any of the following:

  • lecture,
  • academic paper,
  • seminar,
  • panel discussion,
  • religious or spiritual observance,
  • workshop,
  • training session, or
  • artistic performance.

Regular programs will be 90 minutes in length, although other durations are possible. Symposia (1-3 day series of programs on a particular topic) may also be considered.

Download this Document

Visit rfp.parliamentofreligions.org

The theme of the 2015 Parliament is Reclaiming the Heart of Our Humanity: Working Together for a World of Compassion, Peace, Justice, and Sustainability.

Most of the 2015 Parliament programming will be around three critical issues and three constituencies.

Three Critical Issues for 2015 are the following:

  • Climate Change and Care for Creation
  • War, Violence and Hate Speech
  • The Widening Wealth Gap and Wasteful Consumption

Three Focused Constituencies of 2015 Parliament are these:

  • Women
  • Indigenous Communities
  • Youth

We are interested in the following program components:

  • Observances – enactments of rituals from diverse religious and spiritual traditions
  • Engagement programs – creative approaches by people from different religious or spiritual traditions for working together to explore and address key topics that relate to the Parliament theme
  • Intra-religious programs – sessions in which people from a single religious tradition express their identity, discuss their challenges, and explore future opportunities
  • Interreligious and inter-spiritual programs – engagements by people from two or more religious or spiritual traditions who model new ways to move beyond understanding and into collective impact
  • Training workshops – instruction in specific skills (e.g., organizing, leadership, conflict resolution, and listening) related to carrying out the Parliament themes
  • Cultural expressions and spiritual arts – performances of music, dance, or drama

Special attention will be given to programs that:

  • use creative methods of communication
  • in

  • volve members of two or more religious or spiritual communities or groups
  • offer interactive approaches to engage participants
  • model gender balance
  • u

  • se new models of collaborative leadership

Program proposals are now being received. The form for submission may be accessed and submitted online when completed at rfp.parliamentofreligions.org. The deadline is January 15, 2015. We will review proposals on an ongoing basis, with final decisions to be made by April 1, 2015. We encourage the early submission of proposals.

Programs and presenters will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • relationship to the main themes of the parliament
  • contribution to the overall balance of the parliament in terms of religious and spiritual traditions, new and well-known voices, academic and experiential formats, and gender balance
  • evidence of strategies that successfully engage and interact with participants

The Guiding Principles of the 2015 Parliament are: (1) respectful dialogue: we listen and speak with respect (2) non-proselytizing: we do not attempt to convert others or speak derogatorily about any tradition (3) willingness to explore a wide variety of topics: we embody compassion as we engage in difficult conversations

Please note:

  • Presenters will need to register and pay the registration fee.
  • We offer a reduced registration fee for students.
  • Early registration is reduced in price.
  • Based on needs, we anticipate subsidizing some of the participants on a “first-come first- served” basis.
  • We encourage you to explore possible sources of funding from within your community and/or external grant programs

Timeline

October 1, 2014: Call for Programs and beginning of ongoing review

January 15, 2015: Program proposal submission deadline

April 1, 2015: Final confirmation of program acceptance

October 15-19, 2015: The 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions

Language:

English will be the official language of the 2015 Parliament. Information regarding translation will be made available at a later date. We encourage you to consider seeking a co-presenter who will be able to assist with any language issues.

Additional copies of The Call for Programs is available for download on the Parliament’s website at: rfp.parliamentofreligions.org